Horoscopes to unlock the stars, not to be locked down by them.

“Coming out of the mud”

As Mercury catches his bearings after finishing his retrograde, Mars completes his on Sunday, right after we have a watery Pisces full moon. Although aggressive Mars started his retrograde journey in airy Aquarius, he’s now exalted in earthy Capricorn. Mars has been moving backward for almost exactly 60 days. I imagine it would be like coming out of the mud.

Avenging Warrior or Reconciling Commando?

As I’ve discussed elsewhere, Mars in Capricorn is no joke. He can get the job done. That’s partly why I chose to use a pic of Rambo (Remember him?) coming out of the mud. The course-corrected Mars, like Rambo, is the ultimate soldier on the come up after a setback. The challenge for him is whether he’ll stay fixated on time lost or get on with his life. Vengeance fixates on righting the wrongs of the past. That’s different from genuine justice. Justice also corrects wrongs committed in the past or present. Yet, its judgment evaluates more than just the wrong. It’s more concerned with what restores order in the community. Justice knows that always choosing to take an eye for an eye taken can leave the world blind.

Mars likes immediate results. But, in Capricorn, he must think about the long-term results. He must reconcile what’s been lost in the past with what can be corrected or sustained with a plan. Plans require thinking about the future. There’s also getting things done. And there’s accomplishment. You can do a whole lot of running around, checking off tasks written hurriedly on a list. But without priorities or a plan, you might not achieve much. Mars coming out the muck of his retrograde must be more demanding. So, must we. Don’t worry about making up for lost time. Instead, plan to best use the time you have.

So, what’s the plan?

Mars has been through quite a journey, though he’s only been in Capricorn and Aquarius for the last six months. As I’ve explained here, his connection to the South Node has been a journey of purging and release.

You likely had to let some shit go during this retrograde.

Now, you’ll see if you really did. The unfortunate thing about retrogrades is that people think that they should go on about their lives as normal. Not realizing that the whole purpose of retrogrades is to reset “normal.” Best to get with the reset program with a plan. Otherwise, as founding father (and astrologer) Ben Franklin said, “if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”

Yet, it’s important that your plan is rooted in what’s in front of you now. Yes, the present is conditioned by the past. But making too much of the past can tighten our hearts and minds with grief, anger, and fear. That’s a Mars still in the mud.

I cheated. I didn’t remember “Rambo II,” the movie from which that featured pic was taken. (C’mon, I saw it in the 80s!) So, I googled the plot. No surprise: Rambo is duped and double-crossed again. He could’ve stayed angry, killed everybody, and stayed on the lam for the rest of his life. But he became what astrologer Rob Hand calls “the High Mars.” He became a Mars who defended and cared for others. He became a Mars with a mission and plan of his own. He got out of the muck. You can, too.

How to read and use these affirmations

You could choose to read these only for “your sign.” Perhaps that might be your Sun, Moon, or ascendant sign, if you’re familiar with those terms and your chart. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that, though.

I would skim through them all and see which affirmation affirms your life this week:

Pay careful attention to the affirmation(s) that you resist. You probably need to meditate on and say those aloud often.

These affirmations are written for this week, but many of them might speak to you for longer, even a lifetime.

You might not know at the top of the week what you need to affirm. But you might have a sense from the previous week, from a dream or something that happens right on Monday morning. You can also visit this page later in the week to see what resonates. You might also discover I write more for another planet or sign in your chart. I talk more about this here.

My desire is to prompt you to read more for your whole chart, not just what you know or understand your birth chart to be. It’s also possible that none of what I write here speaks to you, and that’s okay. The goal is to open and to explore. That’s the only way we ever truly know anything.

The Signs of Saturn

Saturn

Planets or Ascendant in Capricorn and/or Aquarius

Capricorn (Cardinal, Earth sign)

Affirmation:

I can coordinate and conduct a flow, like an orchestra, without doing everything myself.

Aquarius (Fixed, Air sign)

Affirmation:

I behold all points of view, including my own, as only points of view, not the whole view itself.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Signs of Jupiter

Jupiter

Planets or Ascendant in Sagittarius and/or Pisces

Sagittarius (Mutable, Fire sign)

Affirmation:

I serve what serves myself and others.

Pisces (Mutable, Water sign)

Affirmation:

I have a fierce devotion that frees me to be unique.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Signs of Mars

Mars

Planets or Ascendant in Aries and/or Scorpio

Aries (Cardinal, Fire sign)

Affirmation:

I am great when I serve what (or who) I see as greater.

Scorpio (Fixed, Water sign)

Affirmation:

I am watched just as I watch others.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Sign of the Sun

The Sun

Planets or Ascendant in Leo

Leo (Fixed, Fire sign)

Affirmation:

I learn with my body and heart what I “know” in my mind.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Signs of Venus

Venus

Planets or Ascendant in Taurus and/or Libra

Taurus (Fixed, Earth sign)

Affirmation:

I see more of my joy and desires manifest step-by-step.

Libra (Cardinal, Air sign)

Affirmation:

I observe closely to who and what I am devoted and loyal.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Signs of Mercury

Mercury

Planets or Ascendant in Gemini and/or Virgo

Gemini (Mutable, Air sign)

Affirmation:

I guide those willing to follow.

Virgo (Mutable, Earth sign)

Affirmation:

I know more works for Life’s greater and good purposes even when I see the very opposite.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.

The Sign of the Moon

The Moon

Planets or Ascendant in Cancer

Cancer (Cardinal, Water sign)

Affirmation:

I am attuned to my purpose and watch the Cosmos work through and for me.

Don’t know what planets or points you have where in your chart? Learn what to do about it here.